Baseball was ex-Wildcat Mitch Cook’s passion

Saturday

Nov 9, 2013 at 11:31 PM

The pitching standout died unexpectedly Oct. 13 at the age of 50.

By Tom GradySports@StarNewsOnline.com

Family members, friends and former baseball teammates are mourning the passing of Mitch Cook, who died unexpectedly Oct. 13 at the age of 50. The former New Hanover High School pitching standout played for the late Buck Hardee, the longtime Wildcats coach. Fresh off his senior season at New Hanover, the Chicago Cubs drafted Cook in the third round of the 1981 MLB Draft. The gifted right-hander was traded to the New York Mets in 1983. The Houston Astros acquired him in 1984, and he turned in his best season for Class A Lynchburg of the Carolina League. In 27 starts, he finished with a 16-4 record and a 2.97 ERA. According to Baseball-Reference.com, in four seasons at Class AA, he amassed a 16-13 mark with a 4.76 ERA. Most recently, he served as pitching coach at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md., and was a golf pro at Queenstown Harbor Golf Links in Queenstown, Md. He is survived by his wife, one daughter and brother, Ross Cook. Ross, who is five years older than Mitch, recalls that in their youth, they were the only brothers to win Little League batting titles in the Winter Park Optimist Club program. "He couldn't avoid injuries," Cook said, also noting Mitch pitched about 350 innings one season between high school and American Legion seasons. Mitch suffered from arm problems during his first year in the minor leagues. The family later attended games when Cook played in the Carolina League. For the 1984 season, Ross said Mitch's arm recovered, he led the league in strikeouts and was the minor league pitcher of the year. "We thought he was on his way," Cook said. Mitch Cook and a number of his high school teammates won the American Legion state championship in 1980, between his junior and senior years. Jerry Arthur's family lived one street over from the Cooks' childhood home and they played against each other at Winter Park. They both played at Noble Junior High and at New Hanover. "Mitch's form for pitching, he did it effortlessly," Arthur said. "He threw hard, without trying to throw hard. I played center, so I got to watch it from behind." Arthur described Cook's curveball as having a sharply breaking 11-to-5 motion. And as others noted, he had great control. "He was very serious on game days," Arthur said, describing Cook's demeanor as "quietly intense." "He was very particular about taking care of his arm. It wasn't too far into his high school career when the scouts started showing up." Hugh Brinson and Cook also played youth baseball against each other in the early 1970s, with Mitch on the Longley Supply team and Hugh with Godwin Lumber. Both pitchers ended up at Noble, New Hanover and on the same American Legion team. "When he was pitching, he was a fierce competitor," Brinson said. "He gave 100 percent all the time. "He was our dominant pitcher and he was the one that we went to in a crunch. As a high school player, one of his best attributes was his control."But it was Chris Overton who had a front-row seat to the smooth delivery and pinpoint control. He was the catcher for the Wildcats throughout Cook's high school career. "His control was impeccable," Overton said. "It made it easy on me to catch him. He was the kind of guy that made us better. He made me a better player. "Mitch was very efficient. Not only did he have a curveball that back in the day was compared to Bert Blyleven, he also had a nasty slider." Overton, who knew Cook since the age of 3, said his passing has brought some of the former teammates and friends closer. "When you lose somebody like that, especially at our age, you start thinking about that kind of stuff," Overton said. "And you start making the phone calls you haven't made in five or 10 years."